Chapter 95 – When Petals Return to the Wind
[Setting: Sakura Café, Hoshikawa City — 4 Years Later]
The small café near the riverside had changed its curtains but not its soul. Outside, early cherry blossoms had begun to fall, the petals spinning in the air like memories looking for a place to land.
Rika stood outside for a moment, her hand hesitating at the door.
"Ready?" Souta asked gently.
She nodded slowly, though her breath trembled.
Inside, voices were already rising—laughter, clinking cups, soft footsteps. The old crew had returned. Older, changed… but still tied together by something deeper than time.
---
[Naoto's POV]
Naoto looked up from his seat near the window.
Rika.
She stepped in slowly, the door shutting behind her like the close of a chapter and the start of another.
She looked beautiful.
Not in the way people describe a person's looks—but in the way people say someone survived something quietly, with grace.
Beside her, Souta walked tall, his shoulder just slightly tilted toward hers. A silent support. An anchor.
Naoto stood. So did Himari.
Even Hikari—now nearly five—peeked over the table with wide, curious eyes.
"Rika," Naoto greeted, voice calm but tender.
"Naoto," she returned, her lips curling just slightly. "It's been a while."
---
[Group Reunion — Multiple Perspectives]
Aiko: Her hair was shorter now, a pixie cut that framed her face as if to say I'm stronger now. She hugged Rika first. "I missed you so much, idiot."
Rika: She smiled, eyes moist. "I missed you more, drama queen."
Shun: Ever the silent observer, he simply nodded at Rika with a grin. "Welcome back."
Takumi: "You look like someone who writes poetry now."
Rika laughed, nudging him lightly. "I might."
Souta: He stood nearby the whole time, watching how Rika slowly leaned back into the rhythm of the group.
Like returning to a song you once knew by heart.
---
[Later — On the Balcony Outside]
Naoto joined Rika outside, the petals fluttering down like soft snow.
"It's weird, isn't it?" he said.
"What is?"
"How time makes strangers out of people who once shared everything."
She looked at him, her eyes reflecting calm.
"Not strangers," she replied. "Just… people with different destinations now."
He nodded. "You're doing okay?"
"I am." She glanced through the window at Souta, who was talking to Aiko. "Some days are still heavy. But I'm lighter than I was."
Naoto hesitated. "Do you… ever wonder—"
"No," Rika cut in gently. "Don't. We both made choices. You followed your heart. And I… I learned how to let go."
He looked down. "I still think about you."
She smiled faintly. "So do I. But it's different now. I think about you and… I don't break anymore."
---
[Flashback — One Year Earlier]
Rika, in her room, reading Naoto's old message from their high school days. Her hands trembling. Souta sitting beside her.
"If you hate him," Souta had said, "I'll hate him with you."
She had chuckled through tears. "I don't hate him. I just don't know where to put all this love."
---
[Back to Present – Later That Evening]
As the sun began to set, Naoto stood with Himari and Hikari, preparing to leave.
"Rika," Himari said softly, embracing her, "thank you."
Rika nodded. "Take care of him."
"I will," Himari promised, a quiet strength in her voice.
And then Hikari ran up, tugging on Rika's sleeve. "You're pretty," she said.
Rika knelt down, smiling. "And you're very brave."
They left after that.
And the café felt a little quieter.
---
[Final Scene — Outside, Under the Blossoms]
Souta and Rika sat under a blooming sakura tree.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I think I'm… finally okay."
He nodded.
She turned to him, voice almost a whisper. "Do you think it's possible to still love someone, even when you've let them go?"
"Yes," he replied. "I think that's the truest kind of love."
She smiled, closing her eyes as the petals fell.
"I think it's time I write the final chapter of that book."
"I'll read it," Souta said. "Every word."
---